The best answer to this question is found in Lovecraft's tale The Call of Cthulhu. Cthulhu is a monstrous entity who lies dead but dreaming in the city of R'lyeh, a place of non-Euclidean madness presently (and mercifully) sunken below the depths of the Pacific Ocean. Cthulhu appears in various monstrous and demonic forms in early myths of the human race. Racial memory preserves Him as humanity's most basic nightmare. Cthulhu is the high priest of the Great Old Ones, unnatural alien beings who ruled the Earth before humanity formed, worshipped as gods by some misguided people. It is said that They will return, causing worldwide insanity and mindless violence before finally displacing humanity forever.
Nerve root compression that is severe enough to cause weakness in the arms or legs requires prompt diagnosis and surgical treatment because compression leads to death of the nerve cells and can permanently affect the function of the sensory and motor nerves downstream from the point of compression.
Nerve Root Compression. Herniated discs which compress nerve roots can cause profound neurologic damage, including severe motor and sensory loss. Nerve root compression results in distinctive signs and symptoms that can be traced to the intervertebral level of the compressed nerve root. Patients may report radiating pain, sensory loss and weakness, and may exhibit reduction in or loss of reflexes. Nerve root compression can range from mild to severe.